Another Year for the Books

Another year for the books! It flew by once again. As many of my senior friends prepare for graduation, it’s surreal to think that this time of their life is over. Off they go to seek real world jobs with real world people…yikes. That sounds equally exciting and daunting.​

But for those of us who have only made a small dent in our collegiate careers, this upcoming summer will be filled with internships and free time. While I definitely will be on Netflix and getting my tan on — not at the same time however — I plan to spend my summer with some good books by my side.

Chicago has a plethora of bookstores to peruse and spend all your money at. From Myopic ​in Wicker Park to Bookworks ​in Lakeview, there are endless choices.

If you’ve never been to independent bookstores such as these, they are quite unconventional compared to your average Barnes and Noble​. Highly randomized, somewhat unorganized, and most likely used, the selection of books isn’t meant to appeal to those who are only looking for new releases. You’ll find more hidden treasure titles and authors than any mainstream content.

I think it’s important to support independent bookstores. In an age where Amazon rules all, it’s nice to be able to talk with a bookseller and get a personal recommendation, or simply just browse shelves of physical books.

Hopefully, this summer, your reading list will be comprised of random finds from adventures at independent bookstores. See the graphic, courtesy of the DePaulia​, to find out where my favorite independent bookstores are.